swab
noun
a large mop used on shipboard for cleaning decks, living quarters, etc.
swab
1 American
[swob]
/ swɒb /
noun
-
swabs
plural
-
a large mop used on shipboard for cleaning decks, living quarters, etc.
-
a bit of sponge, cloth, cotton, or the like, sometimes fixed to a stick, for cleansing the mouth of a sick person or for applying medicaments, drying areas, etc.
-
the material collected with a swab as a specimen for microscopic study.
-
a brush or wad of absorbent material for cleaning the bore of a firearm.
-
Slang. a sailor; swabby.
-
Slang. a clumsy fellow.
verb (used with object)
-
swabs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
swabbed,
past participle, past
-
swabbing
present participle
-
to clean with or as if with a swab.
to swab the decks.
-
to take up or apply, as moisture, with or as if with a swab.
to swab soapy water from the decks.
-
to pass over a surface.
to swab a mop over the decks.
Swab.
2
American
abbreviation
-
Swabia.
-
Swabian.
swab
British
/ swɒb /
noun
-
med
-
a small piece of cotton, gauze, etc, for use in applying medication, cleansing a wound, or obtaining a specimen of a secretion, etc
-
the specimen so obtained
-
-
a mop for cleaning floors, decks, etc
-
a brush used to clean a firearm's bore
-
slang an uncouth or worthless fellow
verb
-
(tr) to clean or medicate with or as if with a swab
-
to take up with a swab
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
swabsimple
-
swabssimple
-
have swabbedperfect
-
has swabbedperfect
-
am swabbingprogressive
-
are swabbingprogressive
-
is swabbingprogressive
-
have been swabbingperfect progressive
-
has been swabbingperfect progressive
Past
-
swabbedsimple
-
had swabbedperfect
-
was swabbingprogressive
-
were swabbingprogressive
-
had been swabbingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of swab
First recorded in 1645–55; back formation from swabber
Explanation
If a pirate tells you to swab the deck, get out the mop! A swab is a piece of absorbent material on a stick, like a mop, but it can also be small, like a cotton swab used for cleaning ears. As a verb, to swab means to use a swab. So if you're a nurse assisting a surgeon, you might swab an incision, and if you're working on crime scene, you might swab the area for clues. On land, a swab is usually a small piece of cotton, but the original meaning of the noun was "mop used on a ship," and for a while it was also a popular derogatory term for a low-ranking sailor.
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Why do we swab the arm with alcohol before injecting the drugs to kill them?
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026
The kit contains a swab which is used to collect a sample at home before it is posted off for testing free of charge.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
The test could be performed using DNA collected from a blood sample or mouth swab.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
For $249, patients can order the test and mail in a swab, and after a few weeks they receive a GLP-1 “effectiveness score.”
From MarketWatch ● May 18, 2026
At the barn, Billy showed him how to fix a ball of cotton on a stick, with which to swab out the breathing hole when it became clogged with mucus.
From "The Red Pony" by John Steinbeck
Nonprofit SecureBio monitors wastewater and nasal swabs to deter biological attacks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
The detective later told Tamasi not to send any of the DNA swabs for testing, she said in her deposition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026
This approach revealed genetic material from PRV in archived throat swabs.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 1, 2026
Ruth says she had been left in so much pain that she went to her GP, who sent her to hospital for swabs and an examination.
From BBC ● Jan. 27, 2026
After nine years—in April 1957—Joey finally achieves twelve consecutive negative swabs for Hansen’s disease, and she is allowed to leave Carville.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Tamasi swabbed for DNA samples in Spivey’s truck—door handles and such.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026
Officials swabbed his cheek to obtain DNA, and then moved him to Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 2026
And though a forensics expert swabbed the interior of the yacht for explosives, there were no testing facilities on the island, said Allan Galbraith, the superintendent in charge of Operation Rainbow.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2025
Last year, the U.S. introduced HPV testing, where samples are swabbed from the vaginal wall rather than scraped from the cervix, as a less invasive alternative to the pap smear.
From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2025
He pulled out the thorn and swabbed Matt’s foot with rubbing alcohol.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
Nurses and doctors wore biohazard suits and three layers of medical gloves when they entered his room, swabbing him for virus up his nostrils and in other sites like his eyelids twice a day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026
Prof Walsh, who has studied drug-resistant superbugs for 25 years, said there “should have been intensive swabbing and staff should have been more vigilant” after the bacteria was first detected in November 2021.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2024
Iwasaki cautioned against the idea that people swabbing their noses with Neosporin will be a cure-all in the future.
From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2024
I told Conboy the thought of swabbing my cheek and waiting for the results, which might be alarming, could keep me awake at night.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2024
The nurse started swabbing my temples with a smelly grease.
From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath
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